Self-promotion tips based on your time

Best practices for promoting your own work

As the author, you are the best advocate for your work and we encourage you to be involved in promoting your publication. Our recommended activities are grouped by time commitment, and we encourage you to select the tasks that best suit your needs and preferences. Sharing your ideas and news about your publication with your colleagues and friends could take as little as 15 minutes and will make a real difference in raising the profile of your research.

Find information about how we promote your content at Oxford University Press.

If you have less than an hour: choose a couple of these activities to share your news within your existing networks.

• Check that your work is in your institution’s library collection. If not, recommend  that they acquire your book or subscribe to the journal where you published.
• Send an email to your friends and colleagues sharing your article, chapter, or book. 
• Share your new publication with friends and colleagues on Facebook or other social networks that you already use.
• Add a link to your publication to your email signature to let your friends and colleagues know about your work. 
• Add your title to the publications listing on LinkedIn. 
• Share the news in a social media post and include a link to the book in your platform bio.
• Add your publication to your professional and/or institutional websites. 
• Add your article, chapter, or book to reading lists for students, and the handouts in relevant seminars or conference presentations. 
• Sign up for an ORCID author identifier to distinguish yourself from any other researchers with the same name, create an online profile showcasing all your publications, and increase the visibility of your work. 
• Request promotional materials to share with your peers and networks (if you are a book or online reference author).

If you have several hours to devote: branch out to showcase your publication.

• Contact your university communications team and ask them to include information about your work on your university website or email newsletter.
• Ask your alumni magazine to add a brief listing about you your work to its communications.
• Pitch an article to The Conversation or another publication covering the academic community or your area of study.
• Prepare a slide about your publication for conferences and other presentations. 
• Create an author page on Amazon Author Central (for book authors).

If you can make a long-term commitment: Find your niche and get involved.

• Think about which social network would suit you. Every platform has distinct communities and interest groups; take some time to find the right platform for you and your work.
• If you want to use a new platform to talk about your work, you should join and start to build up a following at least several months before publication. Use the opportunity to talk, share ideas, and get involved in conversations.
• You could also consider starting your own blog to explore ideas, communicate with a wider audience, and raise your online profile.
• If you’re interested in wider dissemination among non-specialists, such as policy-makers and the general public, get advice from your institution, faculty, or funding body about public engagement.